Sistani Wants Islam to Be Sole Source of Legislation

Author: 
Naseer Al-Nahr, Arab News
Publication Date: 
Mon, 2005-02-07 03:00

BAGHDAD, 7 February 2005 — Iraq’s Shiite leader Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani and another top cleric yesterday demanded that Islam be the sole source of legislation in the country’s new constitution. Hours later US Vice President Dick Cheney said Iraq has the right to shape its own democracy without becoming “an Iraqi version of America.”

The national assembly formed after last month’s historic elections is to oversee the drawing up of the new constitution. The role of Islam has been at the heart of months of debate between rival parties and factions as well as the US-led occupation authority which administered Iraq until last June.

Sistani leads the five most important clerics, known as Marja Al-Taqlid, or sources of emulation, who had portrayed a more moderate stance going into the election.

The statement was released by Sheikh Ibrahim Ibrahimi, a representative of Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Ishaq Al-Fayad, another of the Marja. “All of the ulema and Marja, and the majority of the Iraqi people, want the national assembly to make Islam the source of legislation in the permanent constitution and to reject any law that is contrary to Islam,” said the statement.

A source close to Sistani announced soon after the release of the statement that the leader backed the demand. “We warn officials against a separation of the state and religion, because this is completely rejected by the ulema and Marja and we will accept no compromise on this question,” said Ibrahimi.

US Vice President Cheney told Fox News: “They will do it their way. They will do it in accordance with their culture and their history and their beliefs and whatever role they decide they want to have for religion in their society. And that’s as it should be.”

Meanwhile, four Egyptians working for a mobile phone company were abducted by gunmen in Baghdad, and militants threatened to kill an Italian journalist by today unless Italy agreed to withdraw its troops.

— Additional input from agencies

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